KOCHI/NEW DELHI: Congress leadership has summoned for discussions the key contenders for the post of Kerala CM, with insiders viewing the selection process as a toss-up between “intra-party support” and “public sentiment” relating to two aspirants.Sources said leader of the opposition VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, and KC Venugopal, besides state chief Sunny Joseph, will hold talks with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. They said a decision on who would head the Kerala govt will be taken by Sunday.
The process moved to Delhi after AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik – who held a meeting with state legislators a day earlier – submitted their report to Kharge on Friday. Meanwhile, Congress MP from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor, met Kharge and shared his feedback on the issue as well as on the political situation in the state.According to sources, over 80% of MLAs have named Venugopal as their preferred choice for the top post. It has given a leg up to the AICC general secretary, who is also a close aide of Rahul.But, they said, the party will have to factor in the “public sentiment” about the netas before making a decision. In their view, Satheesan has strong support among people who view him as the bulwark that steered the Congress-led UDF ship against the Left Front govt over five years.Besides, Congress would also have to factor in that Venugopal as CM will result in two bypolls – the parliamentary seat he would vacate and the assembly seat he would contest.Amid the uncertainty, another political formula is also being actively discussed within Congress circles.According to sources, there are indications that despite commanding majority support in the CLP (Congress legislature party), Venugopal could step aside in favour of Chennithala, citing his experience. The move is reportedly being explored by the Venugopal and Chennithala camps in an apparent attempt to prevent Satheesan from consolidating support for the top post. They believe that Satheesan will be forced to accept this.AICC observers are understood to have informed the high command that the political situation in Kerala remains sensitive, and a quick decision has to be taken. They also pitched for factoring in the allies’ views.Another issue for consideration is if Rahul can release Venugopal from the post of AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation, where he has emerged over the past few years as Rahul’s pointsperson for party issues. Besides, he also runs the Congress management in Parliament and coordination with allies of the INDIA bloc. Venugopal’s salience is also evident from the fact that he is the chairman of key parliamentary panel – Public Accounts Committee – that is usually held by the leader of the opposition.Party brass would like to convince the contenders to accept the final choice, as it would not want any dissonance among disappointed netas to dampen the euphoria of UDF’s massive victory.
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